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Ivy Heading To Fortius Following Breakout Season

Later this month Eddie Ivy, South Pontotoc star tailback, will compete in the Fortius Project at ICC alongside his teammate and best friend, Brett Riley.

Ivy and Riley were key cogs in the Cougars 2016 season that concluded with a 7-5 record and playoff birth. The closeness of the team, which is a credit to head coach Michael Bradley, certainly played a major role in the team’s success.

“Me and Brett are real close. We do just about everything together,” Ivy told SES Mississippi. “Every Thursday before a game, the team comes together and we call it ‘church time.’ We tell what we love about the team and how we’re going to put everything on the line for each other.”

The Fortius Project could serve as a proving ground for Ivy, who rushed for 1,307 yards and 19 scores last season as a sophomore. He could emerge as one of state’s best backs in 2017.

“I’m just going to try my best to be the best at Fortius,” He said. “I think this camp will help me improve my footwork.”

His transition from freshman season, where he scored six touchdowns, to blossoming in his second year was guided by his head coach. Additionally, he credits his offensive line.

“I have to thank coach Bradley,” Ivy said. “He had me on the weights and ran me through drills to help my footwork, speed and quickness.”

“I couldn’t have had the season I did without my linemen either. They worked their butts off.”

Beyond his appearance at the Fortius Project this offseason Ivy has plans to put in the grind. That’s not something new for him, though. In fact, it’s all he’s ever known.

Coming from an athletic family has molded the young Ivy into someone who isn’t afraid of hard work. Next season, he wants two things to look a little different about his game.

“I’m going to work my butt off this offseason. When you see me next year I’m going to be bigger and faster,” Ivy explained. “My grandfather ran track, my dad used to play football and basketball and my mom played basketball and softball. My brother, who just graduated, played football and basketball.”

Though he is making a name for himself on the gridiron, Ivy like some of his family before him is a skilled player on the basketball court. Both sport, he says, mean the world to him.

His relationship with his brother and father have been instrumental in where he has found himself today.

“When I was little my dad told me there was something special about me,” He stated. “He always had me on a football taem. He put me in little league football. He would work with me all the time. During football season we wake up at 5 o’clock before school every day and work on footwork and stuff.”

“Me and my brother are real close. We basically got really good by playing backyard ball. We never played anybody smaller than us.”

Ivy’s size is something he finds in common with Dallas Cowboy star tailback Ezekiel Elliot. Like, the former Ohio State star, Ivy wants to make it to the highest level.

“He’s small, but he does big things,” He said. “A goal of mine is to make it big and take care of my family.”